REG - Ondine Biomedical - Steriwave ICU Study Shows 39.5% Pneumonia Drop

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RNS Number : 2837A  Ondine Biomedical Inc.  14 April 2026

14 April 2026

ONDINE BIOMEDICAL INC.

("Ondine Biomedical", "Ondine" or the "Company")

Steriwave ICU Study Shows 39.5% Pneumonia Drop

Pioneering research from Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation shows a
significant decrease in pneumonia rates and establishes a new benchmark for
ICU infection prevention.

Ondine Biomedical Inc. (AIM: OBI) is pleased to announce that Royal Columbian
Hospital Foundation ("RCHF")'s Advancing Innovation in Medicine ("AIM")
Research Team, at one of Canada's leading critical care centres, has achieved
a major milestone in patient safety and clinical innovation with the
peer-reviewed publication of a landmark intensive care unit ("ICU") study in
Critical Care.

The RCHF study, "Suppression of Microbial Burden to Reduce Pneumonia in
Critical Illness: the SMURF Feasibility Pilot Study"
(https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13054-026-06008-7) , delivers
compelling new evidence on preventing life-threatening infections in
critically ill patients with a nasal photodisinfection protocol. This study
marks the first nasal photodisinfection deployment in an ICU setting. AIM
researchers observed that Ondine's Steriwave® nasal photodisinfection
therapy, already utilised in Canadian and UK hospitals to reduce surgical site
infection rates, proved safe and highly effective in treated ICU patients when
compared to a control group.

Top-line results showed a 39.5% reduction in pneumonia rates, decreasing from
14.9 to 9.0 cases per 1000 ICU patient-days. Although this pilot study was not
powered for statistical significance on this clinical outcome measure, the
nearly 40% reduction in pneumonia rate was associated with a statistically
significant reduction in early cumulative nasal pathogen burden (p<0.01).
No intervention-related adverse events were detected. The study lays a strong
foundation for larger follow-on trials expected to dramatically change
standard of care in ICU pneumonia prevention.

Dr. Elizabeth Rohrs, PhD, RRT, RCH principal investigator and RCH Foundation
Research Director, commented:

"Every case of pneumonia prevented in ICUs translates to days of ventilation
avoided, earlier discharges, and beds freed for the next critically ill
patient. The preliminary results from SMURF suggest that a simple, five-minute
nasal treatment could make a real difference at scale. Our next step is a
multicenter randomised trial to confirm these findings, and we're excited to
build on what this pilot has shown."

Dr. Steven Reynolds, MD, FRCPC, Executive Lead of the AIM Institute, TB Vets
Professor in Critical Care at Simon Fraser University, stated:

"The initial findings from the SMURF study are encouraging, providing a clear
trajectory for validating an approach that could represent a paradigm shift in
pneumonia prevention. Ventilator-associated pneumonia remains a significant
burden, contributing to patient mortality, prolonged suffering, and
considerable increased costs within ICUs. By preventing a meaningful
proportion of these infections, we can fundamentally improve clinical outcomes
and better support a healthcare system managing increasingly strained
resources."

The study highlights a crucial insight: reducing the microbial load in the
nose significantly lowers the risk of respiratory infections, including
ventilator-associated pneumonia ("VAP") and hospital-acquired pneumonia
(together "nosocomial pneumonia"). As healthcare systems face escalating
antimicrobial resistance, traditional topical antibiotics are increasingly
ineffective.

In contrast, photodisinfection provides a broad-spectrum advantage, remaining
effective against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, which now
account for approximately 67% of culture-positive ICU infections  1 . Notably,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae are identified as the primary
pathogens driving these VAP occurrences, highlighting the significance of
Gram-negative bacteria in ICU infection epidemiology.

The burden of these infections is profound. While ICU-acquired infections
occur in approximately 13-15% of admissions  2 , 3 , research indicates
nosocomial pneumonia is associated with an average of 13-21 additional ICU
days in hospital,11-42% mortality, and an average additional cost per case of
$56,000 to $102,000  4 . Reducing these infections directly addresses hospital
capacity constraints and improves system-wide efficiency.

The SMURF Feasibility Pilot Study was supported in part by the Royal Columbian
Hospital Foundation, whose investment in AIM research continues to drive
frontline innovation in Canada.

 

Enquiries:

 Ondine Biomedical Inc.                                     www.ondinebio.com
 Carolyn Cross, CEO                                         +1 604 669 0555

or via 5654 & Company

 Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated & Financial Adviser)
 James Harris, Richard Johnson                              +44 (0)20 7409 3494

 Peel Hunt LLP (Broker & Joint Financial Adviser)
 James Steel, Dr. Chris Golden                              +44 (0)20 7418 8900

 5654 & Company (Financial PR and IR Adviser)               ondinebiomedical@5654.co.uk
 Matthew Neal, Chris Gardner, Melissa Gardiner              +44 0791 7800 011

                                                            +44 0775 7697 357

 

About the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation (RCHF) and Advancing Innovation
in Medicine (AIM) Division

As BC's most comprehensive critical care hospital, one in three British
Columbians rely on Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH). It is the only hospital in
BC with trauma, cardiac, neurosciences, high-risk obstetrics and neonatal
intensive care on one site. RCH looks after some of the most seriously ill and
injured patients in B.C.

Since 1978, donors to Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation have helped fund
priority equipment needs, facility enhancements, research, education and
innovation at Royal Columbian Hospital.

As part of Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, the AIM Institute is a social
enterprise that partners with innovative health-tech companies, providing
clinical insights grounded in deep expertise, alongside clinical trial design
and execution. Find out more: https://rchfoundation.com/aiminstitute/
(https://rchfoundation.com/aiminstitute/)

About Steriwave® and its Mode of Action

Steriwave nasal photodisinfection is a non-invasive and painless treatment
that uses a proprietary light-activated photosensitive agent to destroy
harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi, including antibiotic-resistant strains,
in the nasal passages. The procedure takes five minutes and, unlike
antibiotics, is effective immediately and allows the normal nasal microbiome
to recover quickly, without fostering antimicrobial resistance.

The two-step process involves applying the Steriwave formulation in the
nostrils where it electrostatically binds to microbes rather than human cells.
The area is then illuminated with safe red light to activate the formulation,
triggering an oxidative burst that physically destroys all manner of pathogens
within minutes. This rapid and overwhelming oxidative stress makes it
extremely difficult for pathogens to develop resistance, and the process stops
immediately once the light is turned off. Steriwave has been used in a growing
number of hospitals since 2011.

About Ondine Biomedical Inc.

Ondine Biomedical Inc. is a Canadian life sciences company and leader in
light-activated antimicrobial therapies ('photodisinfection') for the
prevention and treatment of infections, including those caused by
multidrug-resistant organisms. Ondine has a pipeline of investigational
products, based on its proprietary photodisinfection technology, in various
stages of development.

Ondine's nasal photodisinfection system has a CE mark in Europe and is
approved for nasal decolonisation in Canada, Australia, Mexico and several
other countries under the name Steriwave(®). In the US, it has been granted
Qualified Infectious Disease Product designation and Fast Track status by the
FDA and is currently undergoing clinical trials for regulatory approval.
Products beyond nasal photodisinfection include therapies for a variety of
medical indications such as chronic sinusitis, ventilator-associated
pneumonia, burns and other indications.

References:

 1 . Vincent JL, Sakr Y, Singer M, et al. Prevalence and Outcomes of Infection
Among Patients in Intensive Care Units in 2017. JAMA. 2020;323(15):1478-1487.
doi:10.1001/jama.2020.2717

 2 . European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Healthcare-associated
infections acquired in intensive care units: annual epidemiological report for
2020. Stockholm, Sweden: ECDC; 2024.

 3 . European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Healthcare-associated
infections acquired in intensive care units: annual epidemiological report for
2021. Stockholm, Sweden: ECDC; 2024.

 4 .  Zilberberg MD, Nathanson BH, Puzniak LA, Shorr AF. Descriptive
epidemiology and outcomes of nonventilated hospital-acquired, ventilated
hospital-acquired, and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia in the United
States, 2012-2019. Crit Care Med. 2022;50(3):460-468.

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